More Cities Adopt Plastic Straws Ban in Restaurants

In the United States, and across the globe, cities are stepping up and giving the straw the boot.

The Last Plastic Straw notes that 500 million straws are discarded each day in the US, equaling $175 billion per year worth of straws entering our landfills and littering our waterways.

In Canada, an estimated 57 million straws are used each day!

The plastic problem is harrowing, and while plastic straws represent just a small proportion of the pollution problem (which greatly impacts marine and coastal ecosystems, and therefore food systems), banning them can be a stepping stone in nudging behaviour change within the general public.

“Giving up plastic straws is a small step, and an easy thing for people to get started on. From there, we can move on to larger projects.”

Daniel Victor wrote a piece in the New York Times last month on this – read it here!

In Britain, the Environment Secretary Michael Gove also recently suggested that plastic straws could be banned. More on that here.

Is it time for Toronto to step up?

The Last Straw Toronto has been working with local bars and restaurants to encourage them to go straw-free on April 21st. Some of those already on board include: Java House, Insomnia, all Firkin Pubs, The Craft – Brasserie and Grille, all Duke Pubs, Hemingway’s, all Landing Group restaurants and many more! We hope this momentum continues and the #strawonrequest policy becomes ingrained into all Toronto food spaces.

Come to TFPC’s informal meetings and join the Food Waste Committee’s discussions around this topic. Next informal meeting is May 9th at Toronto City Hall, Committee Room 2.